The second he opened his eyes, he was blinded by the bright light from the nearby window. Naruto was lying in a bed, probably in the upper rooms of Tazuna's house. He felt tired and lethargic.
'You would feel that way for sometime brat, you used a lot of energy. While your reserve is gigantic, your body is not used to channeling such large amounts of chakra. You still have to learn the correct way of using my abilities. When you don't want to cut, I can only cut non-living things. But when you want me to cut, I can cut anything, even the fabric of space and time.' explained Yamato.
Naruto was goggle-eyed at that. A blade so sharp that it could even cut the fabric of space and time was something unheard of, which was something rare in ninja world. Naruto vowed to master Yamato's abilities as soon as possible. Getting up from the bed he moved downstairs to the living room.
The two teams were eating lunch on the dining table, while Inari was helping his other serve lunch. This was the happiest Naruto had seen Inari till now. As he entered the room, the people stopped eating and looked at him. Naruto noticed that Zabuza and Haku were also sitting among the others. The constant staring started to unnerve Naruto as he asked in annoyance.
"What the hell are you looking at?"
Everyone quickly moved back to their food as he went to the kitchen to fix himself a quick breakfast before training. Tsunami was already present in the kitchen when he entered. As he entered, she looked at him and gave a bright smile and said," What are you doing here Naruto-san? Are you hungry? If you are, I can fix something for you."
Naruto just held up his hands and replied," You don't have to worry about that Tsunami-san. I am a little hungry but you do not have to fix something for e. I am quite used to cooking my own meals so it won't be a problem."
Tsunami pouted and said in a grumbling tone," But I want to cook something for the person who not only protected my father, but also freed the Wave from the clutches of a tyrant. You also gave the Wave Country something that we had lost."
Naruto looked confused at that and asked," What would that be Tsunami-san?"
Tsunami gave a gentle smile again and replied in a soft tone," Hope Naruto-san. You returned the hope we had lost after the death of my husband. And for that, I thank you. Now, what would you like to have?"
Naruto thought for a moment before saying," Some yakikazana (Grilled Fish) and tsukemono (Pickled Vegetables) sounds good. I would also prefer some rice and natto (Fermented Soy beans) if you have some."
"Just wait for about ten minutes Naruto-san. I will send it with Inari." Thanking Tsunami, he entered the living room and sat down on a chair. Leaning back, he closed his eyes as he felt the stress of being a ninja weigh down on him. He wanted to end this charade as soon as possible, but could not leave before the Chunnin Exams so as to scope out talent and gain valuable experience.
Feeling someone's eyes on him, he turns to see Zabuza staring at him with n intense expression. Naruto looked at him and the staring contests begin, drawing the attention of everyone. Zabuza asked seriously," Where did you get your sword brat? It is hard to find a sword capable of matching one of the seven Mist Swords, yet yours was able to completely shatter one of them. Whoever made your sword must be a master smith. I have to get a replacement for my sword or at least repair it."
Unsealing Yamato with the sheath, Naruto looked at Zabuza and said," My sword was created by myself. Through a complex procedure and channeling my chakra through the materials during the forging process helped to create this thing of beauty."
Zabuza was excited and asked," Will you repair and modify my sword? We are leaving to aid the Kiri Rebellion and I cannot trust my sword if it can break easily."
Naruto shrugged and replied," Sure, I don't have any other time-consuming work. With Gatou gone, there are little chances of Tazuna being attacked. I have enough time to modify your sword."
As the conversation died down, the Gennin teams left the room to train. All of them were in high spirits as they did some warm-up exercises. Sakura and Hinata decided that it was the time to approach Naruto for some help. Hinata began," Naruto-san, will you be willing to help us become stronger?"
Naruto looked the two girls as they approached him. He had predicted their request but assumed that they will ask for his help once the teams are back in Konoha. Noticing their determination to be stronger, he smiled a little and said," I can start here but the completion needs to be in Konoha. The first thing needed you need to do is increase your speed. Hinata, you will need an increased arm speed and reaction time, Sakura would need an increased leg speed and reaction time. I know the exact way to help you achieve it."
Naruto went inside his room and used his Creation of all things to create a set of gloves for Hinata. Using a brush, he carefully inscribed resistance and repair seals on them. Coming out, he handed the gloves to Hinata and began to inscribe seals on Sakura's shoes.
"What are these gloves for Naruto-san?" stuttered Hinata.
"These are training gloves with resistance and repair seals on them. Add a small amount of chakra and these seals would make your hands feel resistance whenever you move them. They will increase your strike speed. By the way, how much time will it take to complete the bridge now, Anko-sensei?" inquired Naruto.
Anko shrugged her shoulders and replied," Two days tops gaki, after that, a return trip to Konoha."
Naruto looked up from his seals and said," Some people will be accompanying us on our return journey to Konoha; I hope you don't mind Anko-sensei."
Anko simply said," We shall see brat."
Two Days Later
Team 8 and Team 11 were ready to return back to Konoha. Inari was a little sad that they would have to go but he quickly smiled, remembering his self-made promise to never cry. The bridge was completed in the morning and would be ready to function by tomorrow, which was why the Konoha teams were leaving.
Zabuza and his apprentice, a beautiful girl who went by the name Haku, decided to lend their strength directly in the Kiri Revolution. While Hinata had suggested to them that they could join Konoha, they declined. Their dream was to see their country free and would do anything to achieve this dream.
Speaking of Naruto, he was still missing as the other shinobi stood at the bridge. They were waiting for him for two hours now and were getting annoyed. Anko was also grumbling under her breathe and saying," If he makes some lame excuse like Kakashi, I will send my snakes after him.
The boy in question was sealing some stuff in a scroll as he turned to two small figures. Giving a warm smile, he said," Let's go."
The figures perked up at that and followed their teacher and brother figure after a small shout of," Hai sensei."
Sakura ran her eyes through the crowd to get a glimpse of Naruto but was unable to find anything before a sharp, clear voice pierced all the noise," Coming through."
Everyone looked as Naruto came forward as the people of Wave cheered and chanted his name. Accompanying him were two children, a redhead girl and a blonde boy. Both the children were carrying backpacks while Naruto had a sealing scroll with him. Anko looked at the two children and commented," So, these are the people who will be accompanying us."
Naruto gave a smile and said," That is quite correct Anko-sensei, the girl is Shakugan Shana and the boy is Urahara Kisuke. Shana had no one to name her so she named herself based on her flame colored eyes. These two are my apprentices."
Anko looked unsure and questioned," You do know that a ninja cannot take an apprentice until he is a Tokubetsu Jounin, right? In that case, how will you take these brats as apprentices?"
This caused Shana and Kisuke to lower their heads in sadness. Naruto however smiled and replied," I have already found a way around that condition. There will be no problems in me taking these two as apprentices."
This cheered up Kisuke and Shana as the Konoha teams, plus two children took off for Konoha.
"What's the name of the bridge Tazuna?" one of the workers asked.
"How about the Super Awesome Tazuna Bridge?" he offered, the crowd booed his suggestion before Tsunami spoke quietly, "The Great Naruto Bridge. In honor of the young man who brought hope back to the people of this country." she said.
The crowd was silent for a moment before they burst into cheers for the name and Tazuna carved the name into the plaque at the end of the bridge.
In Konoha
Namikaze Minato, The Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha and the fastest man of Elemental Nations was having a boring day. He was stuck on a desk filling countless stacks of paperwork as he contemplated towards his life. He was still wondering just why he took this job; he was a ninja not some paper-pushing clerk. As his thought about his family, he smiled. His wife was ecstatic at the return of two of her children from their first C-rank mission and decided to give them a gift for their first successful C-rank outside the village.
Then his thoughts shifted to their eldest son Naruto. According to Anko, he was quite good at Taijutsu and Fuinnjutsu though Minato could never figure out his strengths. He assumed that Naruto also specialized in Ninjutsu like the rest of the family. Minato and Mito were lightning users, Tomoe and Kushina had a high water affinity but he was unable to remember Naruto's affinity.
"Hmm, looks like once Naruto returns, I will have to give Naruto some lessons. He would not be able to perform on the same level as Mito or Tomoe but he might be able to perform well in the Chunnin Exams. Come to think of it, it would be the first training session Naruto will have with the whole family. I bet it would be memorable." spoke Minato, unaware that it would be the most memorable training session.
Namikaze Uzumaki Household
Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina was working in the kitchen when she remembered that Naruto was to return today from his first C-rank mission. Cursing herself at forgetting this, she decided to get him a gift. Trying to think of something, she just drew up a blank as to what he would like. Her other children were in their rooms so she called them down.
"Mito, Tomoe, come to the kitchen, I need to ask you something." Kushina called out.
Mito and Tomoe quickly came down to see their mother lost in thought. As she noticed them, she smiled before asking," Could you two tell me about something Naruto would like? He will return today from his C-rank and I wish to give him a present like I gave you two."
At this, the twins remembered what they got from their mother. Tomoe got a set of tri-prong kunai similar to his father, though without a sealing formula, Mito on the other hand got a lightning jutsu. As they both thought about it, they realized that they did not know much about their elder brother. Even if they don't respect him like an elder brother, they must at least know his likes.
Tomoe decided to use deductive reasoning based on what he saw of their brother," Well, kunai and shuriken are out because he dislikes them, I do not know if he uses some other weapon. An elemental Ninjutsu would have been the obvious choice, but since he did not train with us, we do not know his elemental affinity. Lastly comes clothes, but I have never seen him wearing anything but a hakama and haori. I suggest that we present him with a lightning and a water jutsu. He would select one of those based on his affinity. If we know the jutsu, we can help him learn it."
Both Mito and Kushina liked the idea and quickly went to find some suitable jutsu for him. Unfortunately they would be sorely disappointed at their choices.
Konoha Gates
Naruto and the other gennin along with the two six year old children were at the gates of Konoha. While the other Gennin were amused, Naruto's eye was twitching. The reason of this annoyance was right in front of him. The eternal Chunnin Izumo and Kotetsu were sleeping at the gates. They were drooling in their sleep which seemed to piss Naruto off. Suddenly, his Uzumaki blood sang as a devious scheme came into his mind. Using the supplies Naruto and the other gennin had, Naruto made a trap which would hoist the two quickly if they were to fall on the ground. Once the trap was set, Naruto used his wind chakra and turned the wooden chairs into sawdust.
Before anyone could, the two Chunnin were screaming as they were hoisted in the air by their legs at scary speed. Anko quickly cut the wire with a well placed kunai as the two Chunnin came crashing down on the ground. Groaning in pain, they looked up to see a smirking Naruto.
"Try not to fall asleep when you are on duty." smirked Naruto as the teams and children went through the gate.
Hokage Tower
Naruto was just outside the chamber of Hokage as he crouched down to be at eye level with Kisuke and Shana and explained.
"Now listen you two, don't wander for some time and wait for me to come out. I will be back soon."
As Kisuke and Shana nodded, Naruto patted their heads and went inside to give his report. Namikaze Minato was waiting for them as he looked at the gennin. Noting the small injuries sustained by Kiba Minato asked with concern.
"Did something happen on your C-rank mission? I hope it was nothing major."
Anko simply laughed and said," If you consider the C-rank converting into an A-rank, facing two B-rank, and two A-rank missing-nin, one of whom is famous as Demon of the Mist and freeing a country from tyrant as minor complications, then yes, something minor happened."
Minato could only yell with shock," WHAT! And you did not think to call for back-up, return from the mission and at least inform me that the mission had been bumped up to A-rank."
Anko laughed nervously and said," Um… we had it under control Hokage-sama."
Minato looked unimpressed and simply asked to give Anko to give her report after he dismissed the gennin. As Naruto was leaving, he just thought,' I wonder how much Anko-sensei will tell about the mission.'
Taking Kisuke and Shana with him, Naruto walked to the Records Department and filed up the adoption papers for both of them. When the clerk on the duty saw the name filled in the place of guardian, he looked up and asked," Do you have a written permission from the clan head regarding this adoption?"
Naruto was ready for it and countered," The permission would be required if I was adopting them in the clan. Since I am adopting them as an individual shinobi, I do not require permission from my clan head. There have been many individual shinobi who adopt children, but most of the time, they don't belong to a clan."
The clerk simply stared before he stamped the papers. Contrary to popular belief, the Hokage did not handle all the paperwork of the village, just the amount related to the shinobi and the village. As such, Naruto did not require any clearance from the Hokage to adopt Shana and Kisuke. Soon, Naruto officially became, Kisuke and Shana's elder brother in the eyes of law.
Next Naruto used the money he got from his mission pay and a small token of appreciation by the Wave Country to buy an apartment in a Shinobi-only apartment building which he was planning on buying long before he came to Wave. Getting Shana and Kisuke settled was no big deal and it was something Naruto easily accomplished. Cooking some food for his new adoptive siblings and apprentices, he told them to rest for some time.
"Rest and recover your energy for today. From tomorrow, meet me at the top of the big mountain with faces and we will begin your training. While I cannot sleep here at the moment, I might move in after some time."
Kisuke and Shana gave him a wide smile and replied with unison," Hai, Naruto-nii chan."
Naruto smiled and left for the Namikaze household.
Namikaze Household
Kushina was waiting for Naruto so that she could give him his present, but Naruto was late. He should have been home about two hours earlier yet he was not here. Puffing up in annoyance and slight anger, she called Mito and Tomoe in order to hunt him down. As the younger Namikaze siblings entered the room, the main entrance opened and Naruto entered the home.
Kushina who was angry at Naruto being home two hours late simply exploded," WHERE WERE YOU NARUTO, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE BOUT TWO HOURS AGO?!" yelled Kushina.
Naruto immediately jumped up and looked at his mother with a scared expression. Calming his heartbeat, he looked at her," You startled me, what are you angry about?"
Kushina calmed a little and said in an angry tone," You are late young man. You were expected to be here at least two hours ago. I was wondering where you are and you ask why I am angry. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Seeing no reason to lie, Naruto replied," I was buying an apartment at the Shinobi Complex."
This befuddled Kushina and the younger siblings. They were wondering about why he bought an apartment and where he got the money for it.
Naruto ignored their befuddled expressions and went inside, Kushina quickly snapped out of her surprised state and called out," Wash up quickly Naruto, we are going to eat out."
In his room, Naruto was confused. For as long as he remembered, his parents paid little attention to him. This made his childhood a lonely one, but that did not mean that he was unhappy. Today, his mother's attention confused him long with making him feel uncomfortable. A far as eating out was concerned; Naruto was not very keen to try something he did not cook. Hopefully, the restaurant would allow him to cook his own meal. Quickly taking a shower and changing into a cleaner set of hakama and haori, this time a deep blue colored one, after all, just because he mostly wore black does not mean he did not have any other color; Naruto came down from his room to come face to face with his father.
Earlier
Namikaze Minato was shocked at his son's growth. When he read the report presented by Anko and Kurenai, he was surprised, confused and delighted at the same time. Surprised at his son's ability, confused as to just where he got such ability from and delighted that his son had grown into such a fine person.
The last emotion he felt was guilt. He was so engrossed in his duties as the Hokage and in training Mito and Tomoe on the correct way to utilize Kyuubi's chakra; he completely neglected his eldest son. He never would have thought that his son who was almost a stranger to him would be strong enough to defeat a powerful A-rank missing-nin like Momochi Zabuza and come out unscathed. As he heard footsteps on the stairs leading to the upper floor, he came face to face with the object of his thought, his son.
Present
As Naruto and Minato faced each other, Kushina entered the lobby and looked at her eldest son staring at her husband. There situation seemed to be tense but there was no anger or conflict. Shaking her head, she called out to the two of them," Come on Minato-kun, Naruto-kun, we have to go to Ichiraku. We can talk about Naruto's first mission outside the village over a bowl of ramen."
This seemed to snap the two males out of their staring contest as they both silently followed Kushina as the complete family went out together to eat in eleven years. Naruto looked around and saw that the villagers who usually ignored him and did not give him much thought were looking at him as if he was a zoo animal. Most people would be disgusted or creeped out by that but Naruto understood. It is a natural human behavior when humanity is dealing with a relatively unknown entity. Most people are curious when something new comes into their attention and they observe everything about the unknown until they cannot learn anything new without approaching the unknown. This was the standard behavior of a normal human being.
As they entered the quaint ramen shop, a balding old man and a young girl with brown hair greeted them. Naruto had never tasted ramen but he would at least taste it and if he found it pleasing, he would come regularly. Just because he liked home-cooked food does not mean that he would simply disregard the food cooked at shops.
Ayame was the daughter of Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. She had worked at her father's restaurant since she was a kid. She accepted it. She liked seeing people eating her father's ramen happily. She liked how they would leave with satisfied expression. She truly respected her father for all his hard work.
The best customer of Ichiraku Ramen was obviously the family of Yondaime Hokage. Ayame liked this family because they loved her father's ramen and were very pleasant to be around. It was just another day in Ichiraku Ramen when the family came to have the ramen they liked so much, but they had brought someone she had never seen with them. Looking at the newcomer, Ayame blushed slightly. He was tall, about 5'9" and quite muscular though his build was more like that of a swimmer than a wrestler, he had long tamed red hair which were tied in a ponytail, his skin was fair with a slight tan indicating that he spent some time under the sun, his eyes were the purest crystalline blue. He wore a deep blue colored hakama with a similar haori. He had accompanied the family but this was the first time the Ichiraku family had seen the newcomer. Her father greeted the family as she observed the young man. Looking closely at his face, she realized that it was quite similar to Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama.
Giving a small cough in order to gather his attention, she introduced herself," It seems as if we have not met before, my name is Ichiraku Ayame."
Naruto gave her a blank stare and replied," I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto." This completely shocked Ayame because it was a lesser known fact and she had never met him on the times his family came to the ramen stand.
With a silent contemplation, she began to serve the food. As expected the four regular costumers dug in their food with gusto, but the eldest Namikaze sibling smelled the aroma from the steaming bowl of ramen before taking his chopsticks and tasting the ramen for the first time in his life. Seconds later, Naruto's face showed a flicker of distaste before he placing the bowl away, not wanting to eat it again.
Naruto's POV
Naruto looked at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of him. It had an alluring aroma of soup and looked quite delicious. Taking a long breathe in the heavy aroma which smelled like fish and vegetables. Picking up the chopsticks in front of him, he took a small amount of noodles before putting them in his mouth. Immediately, a strong taste loaded with spices, salt and fat hit him which almost made him hurl. He was most certainly not used to such a strong taste. It felt as if he was eating bread soaked in oil. Looking at the bowl with a slight distaste, he placed the bowl at his side. He figured that his family would be willing to eat the ramen he was eating.
General POV
Kushina looked at Naruto to see that he was not eating. With noodles in her mouth, she asked Naruto," Naruto-kun, why are you not eating?" This attracted the attention of everyone in the small ramen stand.
Naruto looked uncomfortable to speak before finally saying," I believe that ramen does not agree with my stomach. This is my first time eating it, but I am not used to eating such spicy, salty and oily food. I apologize to Ayame-san and Teuchi-san, but I cannot eat your ramen."
The Namikaze-Uzumaki family was taken aback. Naruto had never tasted ramen before and probably would never eat ramen based on his reaction. It was a bizarre situation that a member of their family did not like ramen. Ayame and Teuchi were also shocked but thought nothing of it. Naruto had said that he was not used to eating spicy food. Naruto looked at them and said," Would you mind if I cook the food? I am used to cooking food and I would feel more comfortable if I cook on my own food."
Ayame and Teuchi looked at each other and said," It's okay, you can cook." Naruto smiled a little and quickly rushed to the kitchen.
Ayame faced the stunned Namikaze-Uzumaki family before asking," Could you please tell me why it is the first time your eldest son visited Ichiraku Ramen when your whole family comes here bout thrice a week?"
Minato lowered his head before saying," When Mito, Tomoe and Naruto were three, we began to pay more attention to the twins because the fact of them being our children coupled with them having the Kyuubi's chakra made them prime targets for enemy villages who would not hesitate to kill them or kidnap them. Sometime after, Naruto started to fade into the background where he was ignored by most of our acquaintances. Whenever I saw Naruto in the early years, he always had a guarded look in his eyes that made it difficult to approach. By the time he was seven, we had completely lost track of him. He stopped asking for anything, no longer ate with us, I doubt that he even trusted us at that point. Since he was not mostly seen with us, even the villagers ignored him for the most of the time."
As Minato told his tale, Ayame and Teuchi remembered the red haired kid they sometimes saw around the village few years ago. The child would do odd jobs around the village for money. It turned out that he would only take the jobs that were usually given as D-rank missions. Even they had hired him before to help them restock their kitchen once. Mito and Tomoe never knew much about their brother; most of their information was taken from Academy Records wich painted Naruto as an average student
Minato continued," As such, we know nothing about him. Even though we love him a lot, he is just like a stranger to us. We have never trained him but he was still able to repel and defeat an A-rank missing-nin by himself."
Minato wanted to say more but was interrupted by a shout from Kushina," WHAT DO YOU MEAN AN A-RANK MISSING-NIN? What happened on Naruto's first C-rank Minato? I was not able to ask before." Behind her, Tomoe and Mito were wide-eyed as they wondered,' How could Naruto-nii defeat an A-rank missing-nin?'
Minato sighed and started," Naruto's C-rank was actually bumped up to an A-rank mission. I had no knowledge about this because the situation was easily handled. During their mission, Team 11 and Team 8 encountered Demon of the Hidden Mist Momochi Zabuza. Before Anko and Kurenai could engage in combat, Naruto jumped in and defeated Zabuza twice. When Gatou, who was Zabuza's employer, tried to kill two children, Naruto slaughtered him, along with two hundred and fifty bandits that Gatou had hired. The surprising thing is that he did not perform such a feat by using Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu. He defeated Zabuza and killed those bandits with a sword. Turns out, our son is a Kenjutsu prodigy and he created two strong Kenjutsu styles on his own."
Kushina was shocked; after all, it was not every day that you hear about your son being a Kenjutsu prodigy. Before anything else could be said, Naruto returned while carrying a small dish of curry and rice. The aroma that originated from the curry was mouth-watering and Naruto could see the drool forming on his siblings' faces. He had cooked enough for himself, the Ichiraku family, his adoptive siblings as they only had lunch before and some more if his siblings and parents wanted to sample some of it.
Quickly serving the portion he had made for his family, he sat down to eat. It looked as if Mito, Kushina and Tomoe were held back by a chain, waiting for a command to begin the feast. The drooled at the savory aroma of the curry and quickly dug in. Minato was apprehensive but started eating slowly before his eyes widened at the taste. He too began to eat with gusto. Naruto packed the food for his adoptive siblings and sent it to them with a Kage Bunshin.
"Oh! I just remembered; Naruto, I got you something for your first C-rank mission." said Kushina. This got Naruto' attention and seriously confused. He had been a long time since he received any present from his parents. Looking at her, his face took an impassive look which creeped Kushina out. A second before, he had a small smile but the mention of present changed his mood completely. Now he had an emotionless look which scared Kushina a little.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence where no one wanted to talk. The family quickly paid for the meal and left the stand leaving a worried pair of ramen chefs.
As they reached the home Kushina asked in a worried one," What has happened Naruto? You have not said a word since I mentioned a gift."
Naruto shook his head and smiled a little," You just surprised and confused me. I have not received any present from you in about ten years, so it was quite a surprise." This statement completely horrified Kushina; she had not given Naruto anything as a present in TEN whole years. What kind of mother would do that to her child? Now she understood why she had so much trouble in picking a present for him; she had not given anything to Naruto so she would hardly know his likes or dislikes. Mito and Tomoe decided to just give the present, seeing as the talk was driving their mother to tears.
Mito decided to talk," Naruto-nii, we got you a scroll for a lightning and a water jutsu. You can pick the one you have an affinity for. If you pick a lightning jutsu, dad and I will help you with it and if you pick the water jutsu, mom or Tomoe will help you since they have a water affinity."
Naruto frowned a little and said," If it is above B-rank, then it would be a problem since I do not have a water or lightning affinity. I have a very strong wind affinity." Mito was surprised; her brother never showcased his wind affinity. This created an awkward moment before Naruto said," Still, I will learn the water jutsu, but right now, I have to sleep. I am quite tired by the journey today."
With that, Naruto went to his room, followed by Mito and Tomoe as they wanted to rest. Kushina looked at Minato and asked in a trembling voice," Did we mess up that badly Minato-kun? What should we do now? Our family has completely ignored Naruto and I doubt that he would even consider us as his parents anymore."
Minato hugged his wife while she wept in sadness for the child they left alone. Minato had only one thought going through his mind,' I will fix this, even if I have to die to do it.'
In his room Naruto was having a talk with Yamato and Kurama, contemplating on the behavior of his parents.
"What was that all about Kurama? Never before have they acted like this. It's like they remembered me just now, after all these years. I just don't know how to handle it. It is all new and jumbled up for me." Naruto ranted to his closest confidents.
Kurama snorted and said," It may be the case kit. How else you would explain your parents acting like this. If I remember, Kushina gave a gift to both Mito and Tomoe when they returned from their C-rank mission. Also, as far as I know, she was always busy with training your siblings before. Now that they are Gennin; she has a lot of free time, she remembered you."
Yamato quipped," That might be the case partner, I have observed humans and once they get free from one time consuming activity, they move on to something else. I suggest that you get used to being invited for lunches, training and similar family times."
Kurama mused," Though I wonder, now that you will get your parents' love, will you still leave the village."
Naruto closed his eyes for some time before replying," Yes, we will leave after the Chunnin Exams. I will not change my goal because I started to receive attention from my world needs to change, and if not change, then burn. Ninja fight over petty issues, and drag innocents into their fights. Either they shape up or rot away like a spoilt fruit."
Next Morning
Crystal blue eyes opened suddenly as the alarm clock on the side of his bed struck five. Stretching himself a little to remove the kinks, Naruto stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom. Quickly stripping his clothes, he took a quick, cold shower which shocked his brain into a wakeful state. Wearing his signature hakama and haori, he decided to Naruto decided that he would practice his Fuinnjutsu after his usual physical exercise and Kenjutsu training today. Then he also had to instruct his cute students. Deciding his course of action Naruto came down to the living room but the scene he came to surprised him.
Naruto looked at his gathered family members, and asked," What are you doing here this early in the morning?"
Tomoe deadpanned," We could ask the same thing."
Naruto cracked a smile at that before moving towards the door. Kushina who saw the entire event, asked Naruto," Where are you going Naruto-kun?"
Naruto turned back and replied," I have to go to train. Physical conditioning is important after all. Then I plan to study Fuinnjutsu today. I did not get much time to practice that while I was on the mission."
Before he could go out, Kushina called out," You could train with us today. We could help you and you can have a spar with Mito or Tomoe at the end of training. I still have to teach you the water jutsu. I cn also help you in Fuinnjutsu training."
Naruto thought for a second before deciding to take this training opportunity. He discreetly made a Kage Bunshin before sending him to train Shana and Kisuke, he started his physical exercises.
What followed was the most grueling training session Mito or Tomoe ever had. Naruto ran circles around them and they could only hope to match his stamina. He ran thirty times around the village followed by push-ups, sit-ups, punches, kicks and stretches. By the end of this small exercise, Naruto's siblings were completely exhausted and breathing heavily while Naruto was not even winded.
Mito panted," Just what kind of monster are you? Even mom does not have this much stamina."
Naruto laughed," I practice in a different manner. Whenever I exercise, I try to do more than the previous day. At the end of every exercise, I use a medical technique to heal my muscles. This fortifies my muscles for the punishment they have to endure the next day. I believe that you also heal your muscles via Kyuubi's chakra but my technique is better because the Kyuubi's chakra does not actually know how to heal. I recommend that you learn a little about anatomy. This knowledge will help you heal wounds easily."
Mito had a contemplating look on his face. Never before had she seen this side of Naruto, and it seemed that Naruto was quite knowledgeable in physical conditioning and healing. She got up and said," I am too tired for anything right now so I might get a look at anatomy books in the library." Saying this she went in the direction of Library.
Kushina looked at Naruto, who faced her and said," I would have stayed but it is time for the team meeting. I have to leave."
Minato piped in," I must also leave Kushina; I have to announce the Chunnin Exams to the Jounin-sensei. I shall see you in the evening. Also, don't worry about Naruto. We will fix our family together."
As Kushina looked at the retreating form of Naruto, she had a feeling that her family has been irreparably damaged.
Hokage Tower
"As you already know" Yondaime started. "It is that time once again. The Chunnin exam is coming, and this time it will be held here in Konoha. Now, team Jounin step forward!"
Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and Anko did as they were told.
"Are there any students you wish to nominate for the Chunnin exam participation?" Kakashi started.
"I, Hatake Kakashi, jounin sensei of team 7 nominate Namikaze Tomoe, Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Mito for participation."
"I, Sarutobi Asuma, jounin sensei of team 10 nominate Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino for participation."
"I, Yuuhi Kurenai, jounin sensei of team 8 nominate Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura for participation."
"I, THE MOST YOUTHFUL JOUNIN MAITO GAI, JOUNIN OF TEAM 9 NOMINATE HYUUGA NEJI, TENTEN AND MOST YOUTHFUL ROCK LEE FOR PARTICIPATION."
The Hokage nodded, "Anko?"
Special jounin smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. Anko shrugged, " I, Mitarashi Anko, Jounin sensei of team 11 nominate."
With Team 11
Anko nodded, "I wouldn't have nominated you if I didn't think that. You did great on the Wave mission and I believe you can do well in these exams." she said as she smiled in a reassuring manner, "But don't forget that most do not pass their first exams and there is a big chance you will face some more people much stronger than you." Anko warned. Yakumo gulped as she still had some doubts about her skill while Shino and Naruto simply looked at Anko with blank stares. He shrugged, "If you wish to take the exam, please sign these papers and report to room 401 at the Ninja Academy by 4 PM tomorrow. The exam is purely individual choice so decide if you wish to go or not and please present yourselves tomorrow." Anko said as she disappeared into smoke.
"Chunnin Selection Exams eh? " Shino said as he looked at his paper and began to walk away. Yakumo looked down at the paper, determination to prove herself racking her as she turned and walked towards her Clan compound.
Naruto smiled at the paper, his resolve to take it and move forward with his goals driving him to fill the papers out once he got home. He sealed the papers in a seal and began walking a blank face on as his eyes darted around, taking in the world. Naruto was moving going to meet his adoptive siblings when he heard Mito' voice.
"Sarutobi Konohamaru!" Mito barked out as she stood in front of the box with two holes in the front for eyesight, "that has to be the worst hiding idea I have ever seen, get out here." she said as she stared down at the rock. Naruto waited only a moment before the box disappeared and an abundance of smoke came from the same spot, coughing soon following the smoke as he heard them begin to stumble about.
"I think we used too much smoke." a nasally voice which sounded like the person had a cold rang out. Naruto's smirked which slowly descended into a chuckle when three friends jumped out from the smoke and attempted a better introduction by forming a triangle, with Konohamaru at point.
"I would expect nothing less from the man I consider my rival!" Konohamaru shouted as he pointed at Mito. Mito looked down at the self-proclaimed 'Konohamaru Shinobi Corps' and held back a smile at the goggles around each of the three's heads.
Konohamaru was at the front of the group, his short spiky brown hair and black eyes reminding Naruto of his relation to the Sandaime. He wore a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol in red; some grey shorts adorned his legs with what looked to be patches around his knees. The most notable thing about him though, and the thing which caused Naruto to meet him, was the extra long blue scarf that wrapped around Konohamaru's neck and trailed behind him by several feet, leading to him tripping on it occasionally.
On his right, Udon stood with his mop top brown hair hanging past his goggles as a string of snot hung from his nose as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. He wore a blue shirt with a grey collar and edges, white shorts and the normal blue shinobi sandals. Nothing was particularly noteworthy about him except the gleam of intelligence Naruto could see lurking behind his sickly look, something he grew familiar with as Kisuke had much the same look.
On Konohamaru's left, stood the only female of the group whose name was Moegi. Her hair was the most noticeable about her, much like Sakura's bubblegum pink hair, her orange hair stood out well within the crowd; it was tied up in two very large pigtails with red elastic bands. She wears a maroon vest with a dark pink shirt and pants, her hands fisted in front of her chest as if she anticipated meeting someone of great importance or her excitement. She also wore the blue sandals of Shinobi. Naruto idly noted that her cheeks looked odd with the red oval markings on them.
"Why are you wearing goggles?" Mito finally said in question as she looked them over, curious why they would be wearing goggles like when she used to wear them during her academy days. Even if she thought she knew why, she wanted to hear it from them.
Konohamaru smiled brightly, "We are following Boss Lady's example!" he said happily. Naruto smiled lightly at them.
"Really?" he asked amusedly, "Good job on the goggles then." he said.
Konohamaru suddenly twisted his neck to the place where the voice originated. There was a tall guy wearing a hakama and haori looking at them and Mito with mild amusement. Konohamaru quickly snapped out of his surprise and pointed at Naruto accusingly," Who are you hakama guy? Why are you eavesdropping on us?"
Naruto laughed a little before saying," I am the elder brother of your Boss Lady, young man. Although I must say, it is a good thing that you are idolizing a strong person, though it would be a waste if you don't work hard after declaring yourself as a rival to someone strong."
Giving them a serious look Naruto asked," How old are you three?"
Konohamaru stood ramrod straight and answered," Seven, sir"
Naruto smiled and said," Then you have time to grow into your strength. Make your grandfather proud but remember one thing, never stray from the path of right."
Konohamaru beamed as Udon looked up, a glint in his eyes and Moegi looked at him with hope, before all of them turned to Mito, "Boss Lady?" they asked, as Mito turned to her, "Do you have some free time?"
Mito pondered her question for a moment, looking at the eagerness on their faces, "If I play with them, it will take all day!" she thought to herself as she wondered what to tell them, but decided that since she was given an off by Kakashi today, 'Aww well, I guess I have some extra time.' he thought as he opened his mouth, "Yes." she said as if resigned to his fate.
"Sweet that means Boss Lady can play ninja with us!" Konohamaru shouted as Naruto felt his smile slip slightly, "A ninja playing ninja." he thought with a small bit of amusement, as she nodded to them.
"Okay then, let's test your stealth shall we?" she said, catching the group's attention. Naruto smiled slightly as Mito adopted a sensei's voice much like Anko does with him. "You all will be given a three minute head start to run away and hide yourselves before I attempt to find you. The last one I find, will be the leader for your group until the next training session so hide well." she said, causing them all to gain a glint in their eyes and set themselves to run away, "Ready?" she said, "Go!" she shouted as he watched them race off and around a corner.
Naruto chuckled as he turned to leave. He froze in his spot as he heard a few sounds and his sensor alerted him to two presences he hadn't noticed yet, "Oof!" came the sound from Konohamaru.
"That hurt..." came the condescending voice of someone Naruto didn't know. Then he heard something that had him turning back to the corner his group had just rounded and moving forward at a quickened pace."Hey! Let me go!" Konohamaru yelled.
Naruto rounded the corner just as the same voice spoke, "That hurt you little piece of shit." the boy who now held Konohamaru said. Naruto took a moment to observe the situation. Moegi and Udon were standing a few feet closer to Naruto than to Konohamaru and the odd boy who held him by the scruff of his shirt. The street they were on had a tree next to it but was mainly surrounded by buildings and a fence. There was little in the way of cover and only looked like a connecting alley between two streets besides the obvious sunlight shining down on it.
The boy holding Konohamaru was wearing an odd, body suit, all black, with a red and yellow circle on the front of his chest. The suit fell around him, indicating that it didn't hug his body, something Naruto was thankful for as he didn't think he wanted to see a man's body so well defined. His hood covered his hair but stood up with two small pieces of cloth that looked like cat ears. His forehead protector was wrapped around his forehead, a symbol of an Hourglass with a Bar on top of it, the symbol of Sunagakure engraved upon it. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. His face was covered in what looked like makeup. Purple triangles and points seemed to dominate parts of his face as his eyes squinted at Konohamaru. He noticed that the guy had a bundle wrapped on his back with what looked to be brown hair coming out at the top of the wrappings.
Naruto also spotted a young woman standing behind him, obviously a small relation was held between the two as their facial structures and body structures seemed to follow the same pattern, something Naruto learned from watching a few of the clans' many children. He noticed her blonde hair, drawn up into four different pigtails around her head along with her dark teal eyes. Her dress was a light purple which started right under her shoulders and went down her chest, showcasing her slightly developed breasts down her stomach and around her hips to end right around her mid-thigh. A scarlet colored sash covered her hips and tied her dress to her body. Pieces of fishnet dotted her body, going over her shoulders and covering what was missed by her low riding dress, she had two pieces of fishnet on her creamy white legs, one on her right calf and one on her left thigh. Finally, Naruto saw that her headband was tied around her neck, unlike her, he assumed, brother or cousin.
Just as Naruto appeared, the woman spoke, "Don't Kankuro, we will just get yelled at later." The boy, Kankuro it seemed, scoffed.
Mito yelled, "Hey! Put Konohamaru down you make-up wearing clown." This caused a tick mark to appear on Kankuro's brow. Naruto had seen enough and decided to help him but before he moved, two figures came to the scene, two very familiar figures.
"You might want to listen to your sister over there Suna-nin." Kisuke said as he walked up behind Udon and Konohamaru, a smile on his face as his eyes squinted to give the appearance of an idiot. Kankuro scowled.
"What are you going to do about it gaki?" Kankuro asked haughtily from his spot with a hold on Konohamaru.
Mito saw the odd pair of children who were about the same age as the Konohamaru corps. The boy had light blonde hair with brown eyes while the girl had flaming red hair and similar red eyes. On a glance, the girl could be an Uzumaki with her spitfire attitude.
Naruto smirked, as Kisuke charged at Kankuro with mid-Gennin speed, taking out his bokken and thrusting at Kankuro. Kankuro looked amused as the kid attacked him, and dodged the straight thrust while giving a smirk. But the smirk was wiped away as Kisuke changed the path of the blade in midair and hit Kankuro with the edge of the bokken. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Kankuro as he collapsed on the ground while coughing. Konohamaru, who was freed, quickly used the opportunity to hide behind Mito who looked at Kisuke in shock. Temari who rushed to help her brother was stopped by Shana as she used high-Gennin to low-Chunnin level speed to quickly attack Temari's legs before spinning in a graceful arc and attacking her mid-section. Temari also joined her brother on the ground. They both looked at the two children in wonder. Both were the top Gennin of Suna but here, they were beaten by a pair of Academy Students.
Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon and Mito were mystified by the small display by the two children. Mito was surprised that a pair of Academy students were able to take down two Gennin, while Konohamaru and his friends were mystified that two children who were the same age as them could actually defeat a pair of Gennin.
"ENOUGH, what is going on here?" spoke Naruto in a menacing tone.
Mito, the other Gennin and the Konohamaru Corps jumped as Naruto suddenly appeared, but Shana quickly hugged him and yelled," Nii-chan."
Naruto smiled and patted their heads while saying, "You did great Shana-chan, the same goes for Kisuke. Although you are defeated them, you did so because you had the element of surprise. Still, it was quite good for your first fight."
Turning towards the two foreign Gennin, Naruto said," Now I must ask you, why are you attacking Konoha citizens?"
"I'm not involved." the woman said as she took a step back, completely forgetting how she had been ready to step in and help her relation.
"That boy is the grandson of the Sandaime." he said causing the two Gennin's eyes to widen, "hurting him over such a silly thing as bumping into you would be rather... dangerous wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically as he suddenly smiled at them, giving them the impression that what they had just witnessed was nothing more than a figment of their imagination.
"Kankuro, you are a disgrace to our village."
Both the Gennin froze as they heard the voice as a redhead Suna Gennin used Shunshin to appear behind the two. The boy was about Naruto's height, with extremely pale skin and short spiky hair, much like Tomoe's but it was a brick red color. His eyes were a light green in color with dark black rings surrounding his eyes, much like the markings of a Tanuki. He was wearing a black body suit with sleeves like a t-shirt and an open neck cut. A white cloth was worn over his right shoulder and down to the left side of his hips. A wide leather system of belts were strapped across his left shoulder and right hip, attached to his back, by these same leather straps was a gourd, his forehead protector was worn along the band of leather across his chest. The most notable aspect of this person though, was the symbol on his left forehead, seemingly burned into his forehead was the Kanji for love.
"Ga-Gaara." Kankuro stuttered. Naruto stared hard at the new arrival. This guy radiated chakra almost like he did but he couldn't sense a single speck of the normal blue chakra.
"Losing your control in a fight?" Gaara stated in a cold, emotionless voice much like what Naruto used when he needed his shinobi mask, "Pathetic." he said as he turned to Mito and Naruto, disappearing in a swirl of sand and reappearing in front of his teammates. "I'm sorry for my team's behavior." the woman and Kankuro quickly apologized as well.
"We arrived early but we are not here to play around Kankuro." Gaara said. Kankuro opened his mouth but Gaara shot him a glare, "Shut up, I'll kill you." he said as he turned back to Mito and Naruto. "We are here for the Chunnin Selection Exams." he said as he showed their passes. Naruto and Mito nodded as the trio of Gennin took their passes back. "Let's go." Gaara said as he turned to leave.
"What's your name?" Mito demanded.
"Who? Me?" the woman asked as.
"No. You with the gourd." Mito clarified. Gaara turned back and looked at Mito.
"Sabaku no Gaara." he answered. "And yours?" he questioned back.
"Namikaze Mito." Mito said with a smirk. Naruto was more than happy to keep his name hidden. Gaara turned and all three of the Sand Gennin disappeared in sand Shunshin. Mito merely glanced back at Naruto.
Naruto smirked and said," Things are going to get very interesting." With that, Naruto turned around.
Naruto smirked again," Very interesting indeed." Having said that, Naruto walked away. Mito stood there awkwardly before saying," I wonder why the two kids called Naruto-nii as nii-chan."
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